CFPs: Collaboration Centre for Strengthening Integrated Youth Services (Canada)

The Integrated Youth Services (IYS) model offers a transformative approach by providing comprehensive, integrated care (e.g., mental health and substance use services, primary care, sexual health and harm reduction services, youth and family peer support, social and community services, employment and educational supports) to youth typically aged 12 to 25 through “one-stop shop” hubs in communities. There are currently approximately 90 IYS hubs across Canada with more in development.

This centre would align initiatives among provinces and territories, the Indigenous IYS Network and other IYS stakeholders. The centre would support the expansion, continuous improvement, and networking of IYS hubs across Canada as well as build and optimize intersectoral partnerships, helping maximize the overall effectiveness of delivering IYS.

To leverage the expertise and networks of the array of IYS stakeholders, the applicant is expected to collaborate with IYS partners in establishing and sustaining the centre.

Objectives

• The Health Care Policy and Strategies Program provides time-limited funding for projects that improve the accessibility, quality, sustainability and accountability of Canada’s health care system. The Program supports the federal government’s commitment to maintain a strong and effective publicly funded health care system through the development of policies and strategies to address identified health care system priorities, including palliative and end-of-life care, home and community care, mental health care, and other federal, provincial-territorial and emerging priorities.
• The objectives of this Program are to:
  • Increase understanding, and share and generate knowledge and research related to data, policies, best practices, products, technologies and processes, including identification of gaps, needs and trends;
  • Identify, develop, implement, assess and promote new or modified tools, approaches and models that promote people-centred health care systems; and,
  • Identify, develop, implement, assess and promote new learning opportunities, skills development, standards, products and technological solutions.

Funding Information

• The total funding available is up to $15,000,000, over five (5) fiscal years, starting in fiscal year 2024/25 and ending no later than March 31, 2029.
• Projects can be of varied duration. Funds cannot be transferred from one fiscal year to the next. The fiscal year for the Government of Canada runs from April 1 of one year until March 31 of the following year.

Project Activities

• The project activities may include:
  • Providing a mechanism for provincial/territorial (PT) jurisdictions and the Indigenous IYS Network to come together to identify common goals/priorities for IYS in Canada and to more quickly respond to emerging jurisdictional/national trends or crises while addressing associated challenges and barriers;
  • Supporting PTs and Indigenous networks (and hubs in jurisdictions where networks are not yet established) to build and enhance their capacity and effectiveness through formal and informal training and mentoring, developing tools and resources, and helping to identify gaps and needs;
  • Sharing best practices, lessons learned, and measurement-based results from IYS implementation, and disseminating information about effective approaches, innovative programs, and strategies that have shown positive outcomes from IYS networks and models across Canada and internationally; and
  • Organizing and delivering workshops, conferences, webinars, and other events to facilitate knowledge exchange, among stakeholders, including service providers, researchers, IYS leaders, post-secondary professionals working in the youth mental health services sector, government representatives, and community members with a focus on sharing research findings and data insights.
• It is expected that all products and deliverables of this project are available and distributed in English and French. As well, the proposals are expected to explain how diversity and inclusion factors are taken into consideration.
• The proposals are expected to outline how the applicant intends to build on established IYS tools and networks and collaborate with IYS partners in establishing and sustaining the collaboration centre.
• It is also expected that a sustainability plan for the project be outlined by the time federal funding for the collaboration centre winds down.

Who can apply?

• To apply, the organization must be:
  • A provincial, territorial or local government; or
  • A non-government, non-profit organization, including but not limited to:
    • Professional associations;
    • Regional health authorities;
    • Educational institutions; and,
    • International organizations.
  • Ineligible applicants are those excluded from the categories above, namely individuals and for profit organizations.

For more information, visit Government of Canada.